S01.E13: Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two

[tessaray]

Air date: August 10, 2020

Quote

As the Injustice Society of America come one step closer to accomplishing their mission, Courtney and the JSA face off with Icicle and the villains of the ISA.

 

 

[MarkHB]

Fair warning: it's true, there are several false endings, but nothing after "Greg, move your head!"

And really, the thing that had my jaw dropping? Shiv's ending. When she pulled that out of the box and held it up, I was blown away even before she said the word. ( I'm being intentionally vague since it's only been minutes since I finished watching). More later, but a very satisfying ending IMHO.

[Starfish35]

5 hours ago, MarkHB said:

Shiv's ending. When she pulled that out of the box and held it up, I was blown away even before she said the word.

I figured it was a big deal due to how it was framed, but I’ll have to research to find out what it is.

And.  Wow.  Now I know why Matt Mitovich said the episode looked expensive.  It really really really did. 

I have....so many questions.  Mainly, what happened to all the supervillains that were defeated?  Obviously, Gambler and Shiv got away, Rick let Grundy go, and Yolanda killed Brainwave (good riddance I say), but what happened to the rest of them?  Did the old JSA have a supermax supervillain prison somewhere?  

ETA: ok, after watching gifs of Mike hitting Jordan with the truck, I’m pretty sure Jordan’s dead.  😬 I guess that just leaves the two “gym rats” unaccounted for?

Also, I know they didn’t have time to address all the families, but I’m left wondering what happened to all of them.  Artemis has lost both her parents and Cameron his dad, although he still has his creepy grandparents to indoctrinate him.  And what about the rest of the JSA’s families?  After their intro episodes we really never heard from them again.  Did Yolanda’s family ever forgive her?  Has Beth’s family noticed anything going on with her?  Is Rick still living with his horrible uncle (surely not, right?)?

And then that ending.  I’m sure that can’t really be Starman, but I’m wondering what the catch is.  

Edited August 10, 2020 by Starfish35

[Citizen A]

Deus ex Mike-in-a pickup truck.

I guess Chekhov’s pink pen will have wait...

Also: Those kids did some murders!

 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Citizen A
More thoughts...

[ruby24]

I thought this was a satisfying finale, but why didn't Courtney say "Merry Christmas Dad" at the end instead of "Merry Christmas, Pat"? I felt like I was waiting for that the whole episode, esp after they emphasized the whole "I'm your daughter," "she's my daughter" thing like three times and then the greatest dad mug, and yet it's still "Pat" and not Dad? I don't know, I felt like that was weirdly intentional, like they're waiting for that to be the final bonding moment for them next season (but I'm pretty sure they got there this season, especially in this episode!)

[MarkHB]

If you watched closely, in that Christmas scene when Courtney gave Pat the present (the same one she had been hanging on to since the pilot), Barbara was drinking from a matching "World's Greatest Mom" mug. Now I want to go back and see how many times they've teased that mug this season.

Yeah, "Merry Christmas, Pat" seemed off to me, too. 

I'm glad they let Yolanda be shaken once she started thinking about having killed Henry; she's worried about what that means for her as a person and it's good that she is. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Not to ask a silly question, but why is the Blue Valley water tower so far away from the town of Blue Valley.  You couldn't even see the town, even perched on high.

That scene with Stargirl and Stripe flying over the forest looked like it was created in case they hadn't been renewed, and that was the final scene.

I have no idea what that diamond-shaped object was that Cindy was hunting for and found.

Is Dr. Ito really dead ?

And who was that villain in the painting that the mist was forming under ?

Edited August 11, 2020 by ottoDbusdriver

[cdnalor]

That's it?  Brainwave gets taken out by a quick slash and Icicle is so brittle that a collision shatters him?  Were the original JSA not even trying?

Kind of an obscure Easter egg on that theater marquee, I wonder if many people got it.

Eclipso!  Starman!  Hope the pink pen gets used next season.

[Primal Slayer]

The finale overall was good, fairly predictable but I still enjoyed it.

The fights continued to be fun and the ISA continued to treat the JSA like they were kids which is likely why they lost. Though nothing is mentioned of them after the battle...did the JSA let them up go? Get them locked up? Were they gone before they came back? 

Jordans parents and son were a waste this season though. If he is "dead" (I hope he's not, if he can shatter into ice, he should be able to piece himself back together)  then..unless they have some plans for them in S2 they were totally forgotten. 

I am both pleased and a bit disappointed by how Brainwave ultimately went out? I hope they use his death at by Yolandas claws to give her a really good storyline in S2 since killing should change a person somewhat, especially if you're 16, even if they are evil. 

They HAVE TO DO something about Rick in S2 though. Now that he had his chance at revenge and fought Grundy...I really hope it finally lets him to start growing and developing as a character. He's been the weakest link in the JSA this entire time.

Kudos for the writers to make me feel sad when Chuck "died" He's an A.I. unit in a pair of goggles but even I felt hurt when he was iced out by Icicle! It'll really help Beth step up as the brains of the group by giving him a 2nd life.

The set up for the villains in S2 is already very promising along with the big "reveal" at the end of the episode that will cause A LOT of angst for Courtney/Stargirl/Staff. Hopefully this reveal means that we'll be seeing others as well which will really put the JSA to the test. 

Overall, Stargirl has certainly become my favorite DC tv show and I just noticed that is one of the very few that didn't follow the usual Berlanti formula of
1. Cops being a big part of the show

2. Angsty star crossed lovers that the hero is angsting for majority of the season.

3. Have the main villain be an inversed version of the hero (Arrow/Dark Archer, Flash/Reverse Flash, Supergirl/Evil Kryptonian)

1 hour ago, cdnalor said:

That's it?  Brainwave gets taken out by a quick slash and Icicle is so brittle that a collision shatters him?  Were the original JSA not even trying?

Kind of an obscure Easter egg on that theater marquee, I wonder if many people got it.

Eclipso!  Starman!  Hope the pink pen gets used next season.

Also have to remember that ISA were fighting as a unit when they took on the OG JSA. But I still wish we had an explanation as to what gave them such an upper hand in the fight since they had a lot more heavy hitters then the current JSA. Maybe S2 will reveal it?

[Primal Slayer]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I have no idea what that diamond-shaped object was that Cindy was hunting for and found.

And who was that villain in the painting that the mist was forming under ?

Eclipso 

The Shade (originally a Jay Garrick/Flash villain)

[MarkHB]

Eclipso has been everything from a C-list villain in the Silver Age to the predecessor of the Spectre as the spirit of Divine Wrath and catalyst of a company wide crossover. The Black Diamond that Cindy pulled out looked like a bigger, fancier version of the plastic one DC once glued to the cover of an Eclipso special.

[cambridgeguy]

In an episode with a zombie, an ice man, mind control, etc. the most unrealistic thing is that apparently NO students whipped out their cell phones to record the giant satellite dishes popping out from under the football field.

[mrspidey]

I like how they made a big deal out of Jolanda killing someone and Hourman not killing someone only to have fucking Mike kill Icicle for comic relief...

Edited August 10, 2020 by mrspidey

[CletusMusashi]

So they just let a giant killer Frankenhulk run off to do whatever he wanted. Sure, what's the worst that could happen?

Does the staff put out some kind of weather-invulnerability field? Because otherwise that wind Courtney was flying through (and then sitting on top of a water tower in) would have been brutal.

When Bandboy inevitably completes his evolution into a super villain, I really hope he continues to go by Tuba Turd, because that name is just awesome.

Now that Joel McHale is back, will he be followed by Jim Rash's version of the Riddler?

[readster]

2 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

In an episode with a zombie, an ice man, mind control, etc. the most unrealistic thing is that apparently NO students whipped out their cell phones to record the giant satellite dishes popping out from under the football field.

Or went live on Instagram or something. 

[MissLucas]

Well, that was fun and all over the place. As pointed out by @mrspidey the mood-swing from Yolanda killing Brainwave to Mike's roadkill of Iceman was whiplash inducing. And so many open questions especially with regards to all the ISA offspring: Cameron, Artemis, Emo Tuba Boy and of course Cindy. Maybe Cindy will rally them around her though I don't think she's much of a team-player (neither are the others).

Not sure I agree with Barbara's retort to Icicle that nobody's gonna die because of the way people think - but I guess being threatened by a maniac super villain on top of a tower might hamper one's philosophical and rhetorical skills.

And yes, it was refreshing to watch a superhero show with no will-they-won't-they nonsense, no triangle of doom, no twu luv. The emotional core was the Courtney-Pat relationship and that worked spectacularly. That and those gorgeous shots of Stargirl and Stripe at the end make me willing to do a lot of handwaving.

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by MissLucas

[ottoDbusdriver]

11 hours ago, cdnalor said:

Kind of an obscure Easter egg on that theater marquee, I wonder if many people got it.

Ah yes, the movie currently playing at the Theater -- The Haunted Tank.   

In addition, the movie posters outside the theater also showed DC Comics properties -- G.I. Robot, Prez -- The First Teen President, and The Unknown Soldier.

 

[MarkHB]

12 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Not to ask a silly question, but why is the Blue Valley water tower so far away from the town of Blue Valley.  You couldn't even see the town, even perched on high.

I also don't think there are piney forests like that in Nebraska.  I've spent only a smidgen of time in the Cornhusker State, but I've driven all the way across Kansas, and there are barely any trees to be found.

[Cthulhudrew]

13 hours ago, cdnalor said:

Kind of an obscure Easter egg on that theater marquee, I wonder if many people got it.

I caught it, but only because I was a Power Company reader back in the day (I miss that title. And I hope that Kurt Busiek's Astro City tv series finally gets made.)

I was wondering when that particular shady character was going to show up, though I admittedly didn't see the Eclipso thing coming.

I'm guessing Yolanda's feelings about killing Brainwave will be explored in S2, since it seemed to be a big deal when they telegraphed her telling Rex he shouldn't kill. They seemed to gloss it over a bit during the X-mas celebration and goodbye to Justin, but I guess they didn't think it would fit to have her the only one moping around.

All in all, this show was solid. I was a little unsure it could do everything it seemed to want in the first couple episodes, but the writers, actors, and entire creative team did a great job. I think this is the most well-done of all the DC series.

Edited August 11, 2020 by Cthulhudrew

[steelyis]

Yes! Nailed it!

[AnimeMania]

I am surprised that Yolanda is so down since all she has dreamed about was getting an apology from Henry and slitting Henry throat, she should be happy, she got both.

It was a little strange to see Stargirl ride her staff by sitting on it, the only thing I could think about is when did Stargirl become a witch. If she did become a witch, she should have turned the staff around in the other direction.

[AnimeMania]

S.T.R.I.P.E.'s new name is S.C.R.A.P.

The National Weather Service confirmed that it was an earthquake that struck Nebraska yesterday.

The relief effort is well under way as concerned citizens donate record amounts to charity during this natural disaster.
 

[CletusMusashi]

Shining Knight really did turn out to be a useless character. However, props to him for realizing it and immediately leaving the show.

There are a few other DCCW characters who I wish would take that hint.

[AimingforYoko]

I keep thinking, "Damn, this show is hardcore for a CW show." But then I remember, it's not a CW show. This season, anyway. (R.I.P. DC Universe)

I had a feeling Yolanda was going to be the one that killed while Rick would spare Grundy. I didn't think it would be Brainwave, though. Or that Mike would end Icicle.

Speaking of Yolanda and Rick, am I catching a vibe there?

[Kromm]

OK. They slam dunked it.  I wouldn't change a thing.

9 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Speaking of Yolanda and Rick, am I catching a vibe there?

I suppose. But even sparing Grundy he's still a douchenozzle.

On 8/10/2020 at 1:44 AM, Starfish35 said:

I figured it was a big deal due to how it was framed, but I’ll have to research to find out what it is.

Yeah, it's not going to seem to be a big deal except for comics fans.

[Kromm]

On 8/10/2020 at 3:14 AM, ruby24 said:

I thought this was a satisfying finale, but why didn't Courtney say "Merry Christmas Dad" at the end instead of "Merry Christmas, Pat"? I felt like I was waiting for that the whole episode, esp after they emphasized the whole "I'm your daughter," "she's my daughter" thing like three times and then the greatest dad mug, and yet it's still "Pat" and not Dad? I don't know, I felt like that was weirdly intentional, like they're waiting for that to be the final bonding moment for them next season (but I'm pretty sure they got there this season, especially in this episode!)

Nah, I kind of get it. It's in-line with the show bucking just as many cliches as they fulfill.  They felt this one was a little too obvious, so bucked it (albeit lightly).

[Jediknight]

Starman's alive.  The show didn't have a downer ending, it had a happy ending.  That was awesome.

You know that Courtney was gonna give Pat the present.  Pat deserved it.  Also nice to see that Rick, Yolanda, and Beth were in the family Christmas photo.  In particular with Rick and Yolanda's home lives.

Rick not killing Grundy was nice.  Grundy's also a victim in this, he's being controlled by people who just want to use him for evil.  He's not being controlled by the JSA or Bird Nose, so he's made to do evil things.

[Kromm]

8 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

Shining Knight really did turn out to be a useless character. However, props to him for realizing it and immediately leaving the show.

There seemed something oddly intentional about not giving him a big victory. It smells like a setup to me.  

Just now, Jediknight said:

Starman's alive.  The show didn't have a downer ending, it had a happy ending.  That was awesome.

I wonder if he's going to ask for his staff back?

On 8/10/2020 at 10:41 AM, ottoDbusdriver said:

I have no idea what that diamond-shaped object was that Cindy was hunting for and found.

Is Dr. Ito really dead ?

And who was that villain in the painting that the mist was forming under ?

I could answer two of those, but it would have to be in the comic book spoilers area!

[thuganomics85]

Show certainly didn't hold back for the finale!

So, with the exception of poor Chuck (and S.T.R.I.P.E. briefly), all of the heroes manage to make it out in one piece.  Meanwhile, Dr. Ito and Brainwave are for sure gone, Jordan/Icicle might be, but we'll wait and see on that, Sportsmaster and Tigress were defeated (I'm guessing they were arrested?  Wasn't sure about that), and that leaves only The Gambler escaping, although he might be out of some funds thanks to Chuck and Beth, heh.  But in short, the ISA sure got their asses handed to them!

Interesting how they flipped things around with Rick stopping himself from killing Solomon Grundy, once he realized that Grundy was more like an animal than a person, and was probably not fully in control of his actions.  I wonder if he'll be showing up again.  Meanwhile, after claiming that "killing is wrong", Yolanda certainly had no problem ending Brainwave's life with just one well-placed swipe!  Granted, she also just barely stopped herself from attacking Henry Jr. in the hospital episodes ago, so there was always a violent side to her.  I'm guessing this is going to lead to her feeling some form of guilt over what she did, but I really can't blame her, honestly.  Because Brainwave was the worst.  If anything, he should appreciate that his death was relatively quick.  Fuck that guy!

It is funny though that Mike running over Jordan is pretty much being played for laughs.  Ah, teenagers running over evil ice-powered guys with a truck.  We've all been there!

Shining Knight really didn't do much in the end, but hopefully he'll be back.

Looks like Cindy is being set-up as a main antagonist going forward.  And then there is this mysterious member of the ISA that has been secretly working in the shadows this entire time...

Courtney giving Pat the gift she was originally saving for her father back when she was a kid, was a great touch.  This relationship has really become one of my favorites on television.

Loved Barbara's "what the hell?" reaction to Jordan's blabbering about the justification of his plan and then even trying to convince her to join him and maybe they could start something special.  I guess Jordan really believes in the "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" mentality.  Sorry, bud.  Thanos might have been down with your "wipe out millions of life for the great good" speech, but not Barbara!

Sylvester/Starman is still alive?!  Yeah, something shady is going down here.

All in all, a pretty good first season of the show, and I'm looking forward to more of it.  I hope they keep the fun energy going forward and; now that it will become an official CW show going forward; won't fall into the traps that can happen with being on that network (don't get me wrong: I actually enjoy a lot of CW shows quite a bit, but they can't get formulaic and overly-soapy at times.)  But I'm looking forward to seeing more of these characters.  And the acting was good all around as well, with special mentions to both Brec Bassinger and Luke Wilson, who were just perfect in their roles.  Hell, the Cosmic Staff was a better character than some others on other shows!

[supernatural666]

Anybody else got the Vape ad with the medal thing and thought it was Jordan rebuilding himself,I love Sir Justin and can't wait to see him come back with Winged Victory and his full strength,I really actually liked Rick not killing Grundy because depending on version Grundy is like a big dumb animal just doing what his master wants but yeah I do hope his path to wherever he goes doesn't have people in between,I am with thuganomics85 there has to be more to the return of Starman than what it seems though I did like that at for me they tricked us at first because I thought it was Sam and something to do with the lockets like there was more than meets the eye about them or we would seeing what his real "career" is.

[Kromm]

24 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Sylvester/Starman is still alive?!  Yeah, something shady is going down here.

I talked about this in the Spoiler/Speculation topic but just realized nothing I wrote relies on spoilers (even from the comics). So here goes... at least the part of it having to do with Sylvester.

I think it's really him.

Why?  Simple. Real him causes even more trouble than fake him.

Fact:  we know he's a bit of a jerk, not just from the bit we saw of him in the Pilot, but from the very fact that he had an actor cast who SPECIALIZES in playing smarmy jerks.

Fact: part of that jerkhood was taking advantage of Pat, or at least taking him for granted.

Speculation;  once he finds Pat, he's going to want his Staff back. Admittedly that could be played as a villain in disguise trying to get it, but I think it's a pretty good guess that the STAFF would know it's not him if it wasn't. So the more natural troublemaking thing would be if it WAS him.

Conclusion:  this would set up a few conflicts.  Pat would feel obligated to Sylvester and pressure Courtney, and she'd feel compelled to give him the staff.  Admittedly he'd need a new costume since she cut his to bits.  Sylvester would keep treating Pat the same as he always did, but since it's hard to see an abusive relationship up close, he wouldn't see it, but Courtney would. I could also imagine Sylvester being condescending to Courtney, even as she comes back with "we defeated the ISA and you didn't".  Pat excusing Sylvester, and also pressuring Courtney about the staff would set back their relationship a lot.  Also, ESPECIALLY if it's really Sylvester, the Staff itself would be conflicted about who it's proper Master is. Seeing that play out would be fun.

That said, this kind of plot is like... a three episode arc, with Courtney only being without the Staff for two of them.

As to where he's been?  I think wherever it was, him not finding Pat sooner (like ten years sooner) will be something that makes it clear what a jerk he is. Eventually.

[shapeshifter]

On 8/10/2020 at 12:44 AM, Starfish35 said:

Has Beth’s family noticed anything going on with her?

So I didn't miss Beth's parents falling off the face of the earth or anything?

 

37 minutes ago, Kromm said:

37 minutes ago, Jediknight said:

Starman's alive.  

I wonder if he's going to ask for his staff back?

Good question.

 

So at least now I won't have trouble trying to tell Icicle and Brainwave apart anymore. 
I think I saw a stunt double's face during a hand-to-hand combat scene, but I might just have been confusing the 2 ISA dudes who look like twins to me. 

 

I have some vague memory of a childhood comic book with Solomon Grundy also being revealed to be a sad puppy-type. 

[Machiabelly]

Speaking as a stepfather who is close with his stepdaughter, that rang very true.

She has said I am a better dad than her birth father (low bar), and given me best dad things...but still calls me by my first name. 

 

Courtney rides side saddle like a lady. Lol.

But how did she not freeze to that water tower when she sat on it.

Edited August 12, 2020 by Machiabelly
Spelling

[Frozendiva]

I too watched in disbelief that not one student pulled out a phone and took video of the satellites that just lifted out of the football field. That would have been on social media in no time, and no, there wouldn't be a fake story about an earthquake in Kansas.

A good finale. The poor Knight still has dragons to slay. Maybe he will be back, maybe not.

I wonder if the show will pull a Frozen and bring Icicle back to life - with the reason being water has memory - and someone will want to build an icicle again. Mike and the dog did play an important part and were heroes in their own right, but it is too easy too just crash in to some ice. It will melt and may or may not be gone.

Have no idea what the diamond shape piece that Shiv held up was.

The kids did actually kill people. Thought it was not so cool when Brainwave pretended to be Henry. Cool that they focused on the money and bank accounts to distract the bad guys and the reprogramming. Wonder what happened to the parents and whether they will assume the power role.

Still adore Pat/STRIPE. He is Court's 'dad'. Her mom made a good choice.

Is that really the OG Starman at the end?

[Primal Slayer]

2 hours ago, Jediknight said:

Starman's alive.  The show didn't have a downer ending, it had a happy ending.  That was awesome.

I didnt look at it as a happy ending lol. The conflict it'll bring Coutney and Pat wont be fun next season. You know they'll be conflict regarding the Staff.

[Chicago Redshirt]

 

On 8/10/2020 at 11:29 AM, Primal Slayer said:

Overall, Stargirl has certainly become my favorite DC tv show and I just noticed that is one of the very few that didn't follow the usual Berlanti formula of
1. Cops being a big part of the show

2. Angsty star crossed lovers that the hero is angsting for majority of the season.

3. Have the main villain be an inversed version of the hero (Arrow/Dark Archer, Flash/Reverse Flash, Supergirl/Evil Kryptonian)

Also have to remember that ISA were fighting as a unit when they took on the OG JSA. But I still wish we had an explanation as to what gave them such an upper hand in the fight since they had a lot more heavy hitters then the current JSA. Maybe S2 will reveal it?

Now that the show is 100 percent a CW show and has (presumably) more episodes, I'm guessing that we will see more of the standbys.

I would not be surprised if there is some agency (the "they" Pat referred to) who will come in and investigate the goings-on of this season. 

They laid the seeds for a Jordan-Court romance in S1. Now there will be angst when Jordan learns that Stargirl played a role in his death(?) and as he develops evil ice powers.

Even though the series is called Stargirl, it's about the Justice Society vs. the Injustice Society. The villains are an inverse version of the heroes. I also wouldn't be surprised if they develop a villain who has an anti-cosmic staff or something. 

One of the things they seemingly will have trouble writing their way around is, if the ISA actually killed the JSA, how was Pat able to collect their stuff? After murdering every last one of them, was the ISA just like, "We're going out for some wings and beer to celebrate our victory! We'll be back to pick up this lantern, that staff, the goggles and everything else later. We gotta get get to Applebee's before Happy Hour's over!"

[Lantern7]

Well, this was fun. I think Courtney might have taken the torch from Supergirl in terms of empowerment and friendship. Courtney and her new Justice Society saved the day, albeit with a few villains. Sure, Icicle's death was more for laughs than drama, but watching Mike basically Dophinder him? Couldn't happen to a worse guy. Yolanda killing Brainwave has a little wiggle room; I figure that he might have seen what was to come, posed as Henry to Yolanda, then faked his own death. I mean, it probably did happen, but that would involve the great and powerful mind-reading god getting one-shot by a kid. The sad thing? I think her parents would forgive that before the selfie.

Is it bad that I think Beth is the weak link? Her only "power" was Chuck, and the goggles have now been destroyed. Rick gets closure with Grundy, and maybe he can work on character growth next season. I didn't think Justin was an extra wheel, and I'm guessing he left to rediscover himself. Sadly, it looks like the principal's kid is going to slide into villainy, and Cindy will probably help him. The bit with the diamond? That's a bit surprising, especially since I think the best use of the "Eclipso" concept didn't actually having Eclipso in a starring role (the two-part "Eclipsed" in Justice League). But there was an Eclipso running with the JSA in the comics for a while, and Cindy is unhinged enough, so what the fuck, right? And yeah . . . with James Robinson writing for the show, I am eagerly looking forward to Shade.

Sylvester coming back? Eh, why not?

Gambler got out, right? Ditto Sportsmaster and Tigress? I seriously want Artemis to be a little sick over how her folks were the absolute worst sports parents.

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I have some vague memory of a childhood comic book with Solomon Grundy also being revealed to be a sad puppy-type. 

You might have read that from Robinson's run on Starman, when Grundy was with the good guys for a while. Or maybe Infinity Inc. does either book sound familiar?

On 8/10/2020 at 11:16 PM, ottoDbusdriver said:

Ah yes, the movie currently playing at the Theater -- The Haunted Tank.   

In addition, the movie posters outside the theater also showed DC Comics properties -- G.I. Robot, Prez -- The First Teen President, and The Unknown Soldier.

*snff* You gotta ove when the never-would-be properties get cameos. I did read Mark Russell's Prez reboot, and it was satirical gold, but DC pulled the plug on that.

Any guesses on how the ISA's aborted coup was spun into a Midwestern earthquake? Especially where you had friggin' teens right fucking there as the satellite popped out? Nobody took a picture? No social media? Was Chuck doing that on the side while helping Beth and putting the screws to Gambler?

[Frozendiva]

@Chicago Redshirt, I like the show because it has a freshness to it. Not the usual formula. I liked the evil Norwegians as the big bad, the plays on cliches, etc.

[Zanne]

2 hours ago, supernatural666 said:

Anybody else got the Vape ad with the medal thing and thought it was Jordan rebuilding himself.

Yes! I'm glad I was wrong because I didn't like the graphics and thought the show could do better.

[rmontro]

On 8/10/2020 at 2:00 AM, Citizen A said:

Also: Those kids did some murders!

No doubt, I was thinking Wolverine would have been proud of what Wildcat did.

I was disappointed in what they did (didn't) do with The Shining Knight.  It seemed like they built him up all for... nothing.  Then he leaves at the end of the season.  I was hoping he would stay around and be a regular member of the cast, but I guess he's not young enough to draw in the demo that they want.

Amy Smart is really aging well, she could pass for late twenties IMO.

Between the destruction of the satellite dishes and Stargirl's flight over the winter landscape, that looked expensive.  But I have to admit that last scene was pretty cheesy.

 

[tennisgurl]

15 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I wonder if he'll be showing up again.  Meanwhile, after claiming that "killing is wrong", Yolanda certainly had no problem ending Brainwave's life with just one well-placed swipe! 

Killing is wrong and heroes shouldn't kill...unless that person is Brainwave of course, in which case have at it! You stab the crap out of him Yolanda, maybe kick him a few times, take some pics! Screw that guy and his stupid murdering face! 

For real, that was pretty hard core, not only did she slit Brainwaves throat, she just stood there and watched him bleed to death. "I watched Henry die, now I‘ll watch you die." Like, damn Yolanda, you gonna be moonlighting as The Punisher now? 

Edited August 12, 2020 by tennisgurl

[Chyromaniac]

On 8/10/2020 at 10:12 AM, cdnalor said:

Icicle is so brittle that a collision shatters him?

I mean, he got blown off a 3-ish story building first- the truck smash was just... <puts on sunglasses> icing on the cake.

 Overall I’m good with Icicle staying dead.  His death potentially  elevates Cameron’s role in the story- either to take up or reject his cause.  Plus with Bestemor and Bestefar still around, we can hopefully dig into “Norwegian Ice Powers” lore, whatever that happens to be.

As for dead evil guy #2- I figure Brainwave was just getting close enough to Yolanda to kill her, so I’m mildly okay with her taking him out (although I wish they had made it more clear how she saw through the ruse).  I think having her tell him she was going to watch him die- and then doing that- did cross a line, and I hope that gets addressed next season.

 On it’s own I think this was a good finale, but I would’ve liked a little more... nuanced approach to the “evil plan.”  I don’t quite agree with a review I read on io9, that basically said that the show is presenting progressive values as a brainwashing scheme (although we do get actual underground lizard people here).  However it would have been nice to have more of a follow up from Rick’s line last week, and the rooftop scene didn’t really do it for me.  For one thing, “no one was going to die because of the way people think”?  That’s... debatable.  At the very least, changing certain attitudes about the environment, health care, etc... maybe would help promote policies that could save lives.  But you can’t just do that by flipping a switch, especially one that’ll kill 25 million people.  I mean, c’mon Jord- Rochester, MN is in your blast zone- how exactly is possibly murdering one out of every four researchers at Mayo (for example) supposed to help “cure cancer?”
 

The sad thing is, he was already doing it.  He did make that town a better place by investing in people and places.  That stuff potentially can change minds- it’s just not the quick fix he was wanting.  Barb could have told him that, because she did believe in what they were doing.  She could have been the one to separate the ends (saving people) from the means (killing people), and it’s a shame that the show didn’t do that.  At least we were spared a literal “humanity is the real virus” speech, so there’s that.

[cardigirl]

Okay, so they got me with the old Henry Jr is really alive, oh wait, it's just his evil father pretending to be him bit. That part was pretty cool/sad/awful.  I want Henry Jr. back. 

I have to say I was a bit surprised how easily the ISA was defeated?  I mean, all that work, supposedly years and years of putting that plan together, and poof, gone in 20 minutes. Folded like cheap playing cards. That must be the comic books.  😉

Enjoyed the show very much as new original content airing this summer.  I'm looking forward to next season, whenever it may appear.  I like Joel McHale, so will be interested to see him in the next series.

[rmontro]

On 8/10/2020 at 11:12 AM, cdnalor said:

Icicle is so brittle that a collision shatters him?

I'm surprised no one has taken advantage of that particular weakness before.

[tennisgurl]

Well since the IJS got mostly taken out, I guess next season Stargirl and the JSA will take on their greater foe yet...The Terrible Tuba! Or the Tuba Tyrant? The Torrential Tuba? 

I thought that was a good finale, they wrapped enough stuff up to feel some closure from the season, but they also left a lot open for next season, with Sir Justin's search for the rest of his old team, the surviving IJS, IJS TNG, and now...the return of Starman himself! Well, what seems like Starman, it could be a trick and its an illusion or a shapeshifter or some such comic book thing, but either way, its great seeing Joel McHale back again, I was hoping that would get more of him than just the flashbacks, so this should be a fun time, and a way to shake things up with the new JSA. 

Oh my God, the feels when Courtney said she was Pats daughter! The feels! And he was able to fight against the brainwashing to stop himself from hurting Courtney! "I meant every word of it" The best plot of the show was the connection between Pat and Courtney and their growing bond, and Pat becoming more comfortable with having a daughter AND a new superhero partner, and, even moreso, Courtney letting herself open up to Pat, and realizing that the biological dad she hardly new and idolized wasn't anywhere near the parent that Pat was, and that he was her dad, and not just the guy her mom married. It was such a great, heartwarming story and Courtney giving him the Worlds Best Dad mug at the end was very well earned. 

Poor Chuck! Who knew that an AI in a pair of googles could apparently feel pain? I hope that they can get him rebooted, and that Beth finally finds Hootie! The poor thing is just sitting there n the old hall of justice, and there is a new Doctor Midnight around. Speaking of, Beth needs to take some fighting classes or get a power upgrade or something, if she is going out on missions against dangerous villains, she really has to be able to take care of herself more. 

All things considered, the IJS turned out to be pretty easy to take out, all things considered. I always thought that the original JSA got taken out kind of easily in the backstory, but I guess that was the IJS in their prime, while now that they have spent the last few years semi-retired getting day jobs and raising kids, they arent quite at their A game. Plus, it helps the heroes when the villains keep killing each other, especially as The Wizard and The Fiddler could have been a big help for the villains. Bad guys are so helpful that way! I am glad that at least Tigress/Sportsmaster apparently got away, I really came to love those two psychos, and The Gambler got away too, he could be a fun villain to bring back. Besides, if the Gambler was dead or in jail, who would take care of Juniper?! 

Speaking of bad guys being taken out by their own need to be evil, Brainwave finally gets his, and while I feel like the actual act will come to haunt Yolanda, I was hoping that she would be the one to take him out, as she was hit so hard by Henry's death. I dont know for sure if Brainwave pretended to be Henry to try and get information from Yolanda, or he did it just to be an asshole and screw with her before he killed her, but considering he could presumably kill her with his brain from across the hallway in two seconds, I am guessing that he just wanted to be a prick, and like many villains who choose to be sadistic instead of pragmatic, he gets his ass killed. I kind of wish that they had set up the conflict between Rick and Yolanda about killing earlier, but they have established that she is religious, so its not like her reluctance towards killing is out of nowhere, and they have also established that she has a vindictive/violent streak, considering she always killed Henry Jr once and then threatened to kill him again later, so maybe that was actually foreshadowing this. Even if Brainwave is an awful monster (which is true) and that Brainwave was a clear threat to Yolanda's life and her friends (also true) killing someone isn't an easy thing, especially for someone still young and inexperienced. But, being as its Brainwave...couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. 

Of course, Mike seemed to be pretty cool about running Jordan over, so maybe killing isn't such a big deal after all? Mike even got a joke afterwards! So, does this world have a special jail for criminals with superpowers the Earth 1 does? Or else, what could they really do about Brainwave and Icicle? I do enjoy the karmic justice of Jordan getting killed by being run over by a car, after he killed poor Joey by getting him hit by a car. Its sad, Jordan probably could have done a lot of great things without the murdering and the brainwashing, as he seemed to have very genuinely turned the town around through legal means, but he was so bitter and angry that he went about it all the wrong way. So where does that leave Cameron? He really doesn't seem to know who his dad is, so now will his creepy grandparents try to get him to follow in his dads footsteps? I did kind of laugh when Barbra tried the old "your wife would be horrified to see who you've become!" card on Jordan during his evil monologue, it seemed like his wife was totally down with his revenge/take over the world plan!

Rick finally gets his chance to fight Grundy, but this is one of the versions of Grundy that is more of a scared animalistic zombie than an actually evil monster, who is kept locked up and used as muscle by actually evil people, so he lets him go. Should be interesting if he returns at some point. Also interested to see where Cindy goes from here, considering she now has found Eclipso! Oh snap, thats going to be very interesting! Now that she killed her father (what a family!) what will she do next? Is Dragon King actually dead for real? 

I wish that Sir Justin had more to do, he got built up so much and then was on the sidelines for the rest of the season, he didn't even get any flashbacks to his time before he got all brain scrambled or anything. Maybe he will get more of a story when he comes back after finding his old team? In general, the show had a bit of an issue with under-using characters or killing them off super quickly, and while I can respect creating real stakes to the story by being unafraid to kill characters, I feel like they gave us so many cool characters who had tons of potential, especially lot sof comic book characters who we have never gotten in live action, but they just didn't have time to use them all as much as they could have. 

The Christmas ending was really cute, and then Courtney flying around and doing some heroic posing by the American flag and Pat joins her, its just so wholesome in a way that superhero shows so rarely are, and really a major strength of the show. It has this very retro old school comic book vibe, but also isn't afraid to go to dark places and takes its characters and their problems very seriously, with real reactions to the often terrible things that happen and mix that with a lot of comedy, action, and heartwarming moments. Like I said earlier, focusing so much on family, especially the bond between Pat and Courtney, instead of doing a love triangle or any other kind of romantic melodrama. I really hope that, on the move to the CW, they can keep up this level of quality. I really loved this show, and I hope that its second season (where a lot of CW shows have struggled) lives up to the potential of the first! 

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I have some vague memory of a childhood comic book with Solomon Grundy also being revealed to be a sad puppy-type. 

You might have read that from Robinson's run on Starman, when Grundy was with the good guys for a while. Or maybe Infinity Inc. does either book sound familiar?

I can’t recall, but it would almost have to be no later than the 1960s. 

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Of course, Mike seemed to be pretty cool about running Jordan over, so maybe killing isn't such a big deal after all? Mike even got a joke afterwards!

Icicle was getting ready to immediately kill Mike's family, so I guess there's an implication that the killing was justified.  Rick would have been straight up murdering Solomon Grundy when he was down, and Wildcat pulled a quick sneaky move to take out Brainwave (which was probably the only way to take him down).  Still, the difference in tone was pretty striking.

I do like the way this show mixes the darker situations with the fluffy wholesome stuff, it's like a unique trademark thing they do.  Honestly, I mostly just find the wholesome stuff very refreshing, because you don't see much of it anymore.  

[Starfish35]

16 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

the truck smash was just... <puts on sunglasses> icing on the cake.

Hahahahaha well done; I laughed way too hard at that. 😎

[Starfish35]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

next season Stargirl and the JSA will take on their greater foe yet...The Terrible Tuba! Or the Tuba Tyrant? The Torrential Tuba? 

😂🤣 That’s too good.

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

now that they have spent the last few years semi-retired getting day jobs and raising kids, they arent quite at their A game.

Yeah, I had that same thought during the big fight in the cavern.  I mean, of course the two “gym rats” are still going to be in shape, but Jordan in particular has been playing the part of a hardworking respectable family man lately, not someone training for a battle.  Plus, until Stargirl suddenly showed up, they were planning on doing this quietly right under everyone’s noses.  They weren’t expecting to have to fight. 

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I do enjoy the karmic justice of Jordan getting killed by being run over by a car, after he killed poor Joey by getting him hit by a car.

Yes, I appreciated that too. 

[rmontro]

Since this was the end of the season, I wanted to say what my favorite line of the year was.  I don't know why I like this line so much, but I do.  It was said by Pat:

"Courtney, that lantern could kill you".

Like I said, I'm not sure why.  Honorable mention goes to Courtney's explanation of  what S.T.R.I.P.E. stands for.  I can't even remember what she said, but I thought it was funny.

Also, I noticed at the beginning of the credits it said "Dedicated to Courtney Johns".  She was Geoff Johns sister, who was killed at age 18 in a plane crash in 1996, very sad.  He said she was the inspiration for Stargirl.